The translation of the book History of China (Spanish version), hosted by A/Prof. Pan Deng from the College made its first public appearance at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Latin and Caribbean Countries Training Course on Self-Media and Media Communication, and was given as prizes and gifts to Latin Internet influencers and members of the visiting delegation of Latin journalists in China in Beijing on Oct 23, 2023.
The History of China (Spanish version) is the mid-term achievement of the Chinese Academic Translation Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC) presided over by Pan Deng. The translated manuscript passed the pre-evaluation in July this year, and then entered the editing process of the foreign press. The trial edition was published in early October and is expected to be published next year.
The History of China was originally written by Cai Meibiao, a well-known historian of the country and an honorary member of the Academy Board of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. It is a condensed version of the 12-volume general history of China, which he and scholar Fan Wenlan presided over one after the other. The Spanish version of the book was copyrighted by the original publisher, Social Sciences Academic Press (China), published by Peter Lang International Academic Publishing Group, an international authority on academic communication in the humanities and social sciences.
The 2023 Latin and Caribbean Countries Training Course on Self-Media and Media Communication was sponsored by the China Public Diplomacy Association and organised by the China Diplomatic Academy. During the opening ceremony, ‘China-LAC: a Bosom Friend Afar Brings a Distant Land Near’ short video contest awards were also given. Dignitaries from the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs and the Information Department the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the China Public Diplomacy Association, the China Diplomatic Academy and the Beijing Kwai Technology Company as well as the Ambassador of Nicaragua to China and the Ambassador of Costa Rica to China attended the event. More than 200 people, including 12 ‘Internet celebrities’ from self-media in China and Latin, visiting delegation of Latin journalists in China, representatives of China's Latin news agencies and university students who are studying media participated in the event.
Providing foreign audiences with serious, scholarly and authoritative readings on Chinese history will help people around the world to understand the characteristics of contemporary China from the perspective of national genes, historical context and cultural heritage. It also helps to enhance the international dissemination and influence of the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation.
Cai Wei, Director of the Latin and Caribbean Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, who was invited to deliver the keynote speech at the opening ceremony, said that Latin mainly gets information about China from western media. According to him, China will continue to create opportunities to penetrate the ‘iron curtain of public opinion’ and break through the ‘cocoon of information’ to avoid the Latin people being misled by false propaganda. History of China (Spanish version) helps the Latin media present, and through them, the local people understand the history of China and the outstanding peace of Chinese civilisation and recognise the various versions of the ‘China threat’ is nothing more than a smear campaign with ulterior motives.
The book was previously featured at the 41st International Book Fair in Madrid, Spain, from October 4 to 6 this year, as a Chinese-themed book published by a foreign publishing house at the China Book Fair. Chinese and western guests, including Vice Minister of the Central Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Jianchun, visited the book fair.
As a parallel event organised by the hosts of the Madrid International Book Fair, the Reading Meeting of the History of China (Spanish version) was arranged as the finale of a series of seminars on mutual translation of classic literature. The reading session was co-sponsored by the Asocioacion de la Nueva Ruta de la Seda and the China Educational Publications Import and Export Company, which hosted the Chinese publishing delegation.
People from the Spanish educational and cultural community, China-friendly people, Chinese with foreign nationality, overseas Chinese, Chinese students who are studying in Spain, representatives of Spanish-speaking students who used to study in China and local people in Madrid attended the reading session. Zheng Liuyi, Secretary-General of the Humanities and Social Sciences Committee of the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin Branch of Western Returned Scholars Association, Paco Qian, President of the Asocioacion de la Nueva Ruta de la Seda, Antonio Miguel Carmona, President of the Chinese Friendship Association of Spain, José María Fuente, Executive Director of the EU-China Trust Organisation, and María Angeles Gonzalez, former president of the Association of School Heads of the Northern Madrid School District presented their remarks respectively.
